ChatGPT sends less than 1% of Google’s traffic: Data
Despite higher conversion rates from AI referrals, Google organic generated 27 times more conversions across sites tracking results.
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Search Engine Land Awards 2026: Complete finalists list
We're excited to announce the nominations for this year's Search Engine Land Awards. Winners will be announced Oct. 26.
Google AI Overviews jump from 26% to 80% of branded queries
DemandSphere data shows the surge accelerated in late September, while separate testing found AI summaries appearing for 93 of 100 brands.
ChatGPT and Google AI favor large retailers in shopping answers
Adding 'independent' to shopping prompts more than doubled small-store recommendations, while 'local' and 'near me' made far less difference.
Publishers want Congress to stop AI crawlers from hiding
More than 300 media executives will press lawmakers to require AI bots to identify themselves and disclose why they’re scraping sites.
Conductor CEO Seth Besmertnik steps down after 20 years
Wei Zheng takes over as CEO after five years as Conductor’s chief product officer, where she oversaw product strategy and AI development.
Rank Math AI unifies SEO tools, adds Gemini visibility tracking
The update combines Content AI, AI Link Genius, and AI Visibility, with Rank Math now tracking brand mentions across Gemini and ChatGPT.
Google AI Mode cuts clicks and user satisfaction: Study
A 1,100-person experiment found fewer publisher visits, lower trust and satisfaction, and greater use of rival search engines.
Google AI Overviews now appear in 39% of U.S. desktop searches
AI search is expanding as YouTube and Reddit gain citation visibility and ChatGPT loses prompt share to rivals, Comscore data shows.
From pre-Google SEO to AI: What Heather Lloyd-Martin says still matters
After recessions, algorithm shifts and AI disruption, this search veteran explains why persuasive, people-first content endures.
Google faces six years of court oversight in ad tech antitrust case
A judge says behavioral remedies can 'effectively pry open to competition' key ad markets through new access, data-sharing and conduct rules.
SMX Now: Find the entity gaps holding back your content strategy
See how to audit entity recognition, uncover competitor advantages, and strengthen your brand's visibility. Join us for the next SMX Now.
Content marketing success falls to 12-year low: Survey
AI isn't hurting content performance. Dropping proven content strategies is the bigger reason content isn't delivering, survey suggests.
Google’s top ranking factors, according to 131 SEO professionals
Search intent ranks highest, backlinks remain influential, and original research outperforms scaled AI content in perceived ranking impact.
Jessica Bowman: SEO can’t win AI visibility alone
AI weighs reviews, operations and reputation — not just content. Bowman says future visibility depends on the whole business.
USA TODAY overhauls audience strategy, citing search pressure
The overhaul includes layoffs and a new audience team structure as AI platforms send fewer users back to publisher websites.
Google avoids AdX breakup in ad tech antitrust case
Judge keeps the monopoly finding intact, but chooses behavioral remedies over a forced AdX sale, preserving Google's ad exchange.
Lily Ray on why shortcuts rarely win in SEO or AI search
From buying links to AI search, Lily Ray shares why lasting visibility comes from E-E-A-T, real expertise and earning recommendations.
Google’s August 2026 spam update hit rankings harder than normal
Google's spam update caused exceptional search disruption, with dramatic ranking losses across 20 industries, according to SE Ranking data.
Duane Forrester: AI is rewriting SEO, but the mission is the same
AI is forcing SEO to evolve fast, but Duane Forrester says success still comes from serving users, building trust, and learning continuously.
Business websites dominate Gemini local AI search citations: Study
A study of 14,472 AI citations found business websites led Gemini's local results, but repeated searches rarely returned the same sources.
Reddit’s ChatGPT Search citations fell 86% in four days: Report
Reddit's share of ChatGPT Search citations fell from 3.83% to an average of 0.52% between Aug. 14 and Aug. 17. Promptwatch says.
Shopify: AI referrals up 197%, but organic search still leads traffic
New Shopify data shows AI drives higher-converting, first-time buyers, but Google still delivers the biggest share of merchant traffic.
Only 1.1% of news publisher visits come directly from AI: Study
AI referrals made up 1.1% of publisher visits after AI chats, with most traffic coming from direct visits and search.
Judge lets SEO sabotage lawsuit over toxic backlinks move forward
The case could test whether businesses can use false advertising law to challenge harmful backlink campaigns.
Anthropic adds AI text watermarking to Claude models worldwide
Anthropic says detection tools and documentation are coming, while warning that watermarks can't confirm authorship or rule out AI use.
300 French newspapers file complaint over Google AI Overviews
Publishers say Google's AI-generated search summaries have reduced referral traffic and may breach a news compensation agreement.
AI models favor familiar brands in search: Study
The analysis of AI searches found 63% of brand-specific searches involved one of each model's five most familiar brands.
SMX Advanced expands in 2027: See you in San Diego and Boston
More opportunities to learn from expert speakers, join in-depth Q&A, and connect with top SEO and PPC professionals at two 2027 conferences.
ChatGPT gains access to Yelp reviews, ratings, and photos
Yelp will feed real-time local data into ChatGPT, including reviews, photos and quote requests, with branded links back to its platform.
Google loses key DMCA claims against SerpApi in scraping lawsuit
Google has 21 days to amend part of its lawsuit after the court found its SearchGuard allegations were not sufficiently supported.
ChatGPT topic ownership is rare, and SEO alone doesn’t explain it
Mentions matter more than citations, and narrow leads often change, revealing the instability of AI search brand authority, Semrush finds.
Google AI Mode adds Instacart, Canva and YouTube Music integrations
U.S. users can move from planning to checkout, design or listening as Search links AI responses directly with connected services.
EU orders Google to share search data with rivals starting in 2027
Qualifying AI chatbots can also get the same search data Google uses to improve its services, subject to privacy safeguards.
Google AI Mode ads reach nearly 30% of queries: Study
High CPC searches were far likelier to show AI text ads, while paid placements rarely boosted citations or organic rankings.
Google is AI Mode’s No. 2 most-cited domain: Report
Google-owned business and product cards are taking a bigger role in AI Mode, especially for local and shopping searches.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT ads could miss $100 billion revenue target: Report
Emarketer sees the U.S. chatbot ad market reaching just $5.41 billion by 2030, far below OpenAI’s target for ChatGPT ads.
SMX Now: Build better site architecture for SEO, AI, and users
Learn a proven five-phase framework for clearer navigation, stronger taxonomy, and content AI can access. Join us for the next SMX Now.
OpenAI sets Aug. 9 end date for ChatGPT Atlas
Atlas will retire less than a year after launch as OpenAI shifts AI browsing and task automation into its desktop app.
Ask YouTube AI search experience expands to U.S. desktop users
Signed-in U.S. viewers can now ask natural-language questions and get AI responses with videos, Shorts, and follow-up prompts.